I was over at the Lakewood Winking Lizard today. Mr. Mix threw Mrs. Mix a surprise birthday party. And it actually worked as a surprise. But they had a nice spread on the stage area regarding the food. Fun had by all.

I was there during the Browns game and there were a lot of Steelers fans there. Many other fans, too, because of the Sunday Ticket. But the roars of the Steeler game were overwhelming any Browns action. The Browns didn't have most of my attention, but they won their first game today against the Bengals. Even though the defense was torched by Carson Palmer, who had looked average coming into the game.

Meal of Links

My Dad and I, being the wise horsemen that we are, thought we would see a sneak preview of "Secretariat" at Crocker last night. Unbeknown to us, they stuck it in a smaller basement theater, therefore we arrived after it was sold out. So, making a quick decision, we opted for "The Town".

"The Town" is directed, written and starred by Ben Affleck. Let's take a look at the men in the movie. Chris Cooper (as Affleck's prison-bound father) and Pete Postlethwaite (as a crime lord florist) are pro's pros in their limited screen time. I could not get beyond the "Hey, it's Ben Affleck with a Boston accent" view. Jeremy Renner, as intense as ever, is a solid casting choice. A scuffed up Jon Hamm is dominated in almost all of his scenes by another character even when he should be the dominant one. A fault of the writing, not him.

But the real revelation, once again, is Rebecca Hall as the female lead. I'm telling you, Hall is the most natural actress on screen since a young Sandra Bullock. You never get the sense she is reading her lines, but is actually the character on the screen. She gets to display all the emotions here and does a great job with what is obviously an unbelievable storyline. Clearly, I am smitten.

But the movie is one where the whole is greater than any of the individual pieces/parts. Not a great movie by any means, but entertaining enough to offset the $10.50 I paid to see it.

How Disney is selling "Secretariat".

The 5 most dangerous places in the world. New Orleans is the only US city, with Mogadishu the leader in the clubhouse.

Donald Duck Explains the State of the Nation (with Glenn Beck)



The Best Film Books. By 51 critics.

Watch Andy Kaufman be Alive. Absolutely incredible.

Exercise Yard

A blast at that Canadian institution. "Hockey Night in Canada".

Visitor

None, on a mainly cloudy Sunday.